India’s largest ports and logistics company, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), has won a ten-year deal to provide shipping support services for Argentina’s first ever export of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The contract also marks the company’s first business venture in South America, extending a marine services presence that now spans 12 countries.
LNG is simply natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state so it can be loaded onto special ships and transported across oceans. For India, the world’s third-largest energy consumer and heavily reliant on imports, securing long-term LNG supply from Argentina matters strategically. It diversifies the Latin American country’s energy sourcing away from the volatile Middle East, where much of its current supply originates.
The contract was awarded by Southern Energy SA, jointly owned by Norwegian energy firm Golar LNG and Argentine oil producer Pan American Energy. APSEZ won the deal through a global competitive bidding process, partnering with Argentine firm Meridian Group. The two have formed a joint venture called Meridian Transportes Maritimos SA to carry out the work, backed by an estimated investment of USD 70 million.
In its first phase, the project is expected to produce 2.45 MT of LNG annually, equivalent to approximately 28 cargoes per year, making it Argentina’s first operational LNG export project.
Mr. Ashwani Gupta, whole-time director and chief executive officer (CEO), APSEZ, said, “This project reflects our growing capability to support large-scale energy infrastructure projects across geographies. With marine operations in 12 countries and a growing fleet of marine assets supporting ports, LNG terminals, national oil companies, refineries, and offshore facilities, we bring deep operational expertise to complex maritime environments. By combining these capabilities with strong local partnerships, we are helping create reliable maritime ecosystems that enable new energy trade corridors and strengthen long-term supply resilience.”
The team will handle all ship-related support needed to get LNG safely loaded and dispatched, including operating tugboats that guide massive tankers into and out of port, providing offshore supply support, and ferrying crew to and from the floating facility. Four specialized tugboats, one supply and anchor-handling vessel, and one crew boat will be deployed for the purpose.
The gas will be liquefied aboard a floating platform called the Hilli Episeyo, anchored in the San Matias Gulf off Argentina’s Patagonian coast. Commercial operations are expected to begin in September 2027, with the project initially producing around 2.45 million tonnes of LNG per year, equivalent to roughly 28 shipments annually.
The timing reflects Argentina’s broader economic ambitions. The Latin American country has been aggressively monetizing its vast Vaca Muerta shale gas reserves under market-oriented reforms, and this project is the first concrete result of that push reaching international markets.
Argentina already has agreements in place to export up to 10 million tonnes of LNG annually to India from 2027, making the Southern Energy project the opening chapter of a supply corridor that could reshape how the South Asian giant powers itself in the decades ahead.